The Ultimate Lifeform In Equestria

Fluttershy was unable to fall back asleep, having been awoken by loud sounds. It was as if a huge fight was going on between the creatures. Then she heard something that made her heart drop, the pain filled cries of a manticore that were followed by a silence that could only be described as eerie. She had no idea what was going on, but felt absolutely terrible that there were animals in distress. Yet at the same time she knew how unforgiving everything in that forest was, but that didn't make her feel any better. There was nothing she could do.

"I'm so sorry." She said softly as a tear rolled down her cheek, hoping those animals were okay or at least if they were no longer living that their death was quick. The pain she heard in that cry was absolutely terrible. Yet she knew, nothing could be done, it was just the way nature worked in there. Finally after what seemed like forever Fluttershy could feel sleep finally take her, giving her what little rest it could before morning.

Morning soon came to Equestria. Rays of golden light shining down on the country, and through the windows of its citizens. Twilight awoke with a yawn as the light made its way in and stirred her from her slumber. She got up and stretched her sore muscles, gaining a few pops from her joints as she did so. Heading over to her vanity she looked at her disheveled mane and used her magic to lift her brush and tame her hair. All the while she found herself thinking about Shadow, wondering if he was even still alive. She was jarred from her thoughts by a knock at her door.

"Who could that be?" she wondered in her head. "Coming!" she called out before heading to the door and opening it only to see Fluttershy. Now that wasn't what was surprising, what was surprising was the fact Fluttershy had bags under her eyes and looked absolutely terrible with her unkempt mane and ruffled feathers. She obviously had trouble sleeping last night, would be any person's first thought.

"Fluttershy, what happened to you?" Twilight asked worried.

"Oh it was awful Twilight, I was awoken by the sounds of animals fighting in the Everfree." She said, her voice quieter than normal since the poor thing was so exhausted.

"Don't they do that all the time though?" Twilight asked, not sure why this would cause Fluttershy to lose sleep.

"Yes and normally it doesn't bother me, but this time was different." She said with a sad expression.

"Come on in, you can tell me more."

"Thank you Twilight." She said with the best smile she could muster before walking in and sitting down. Twilight sat across from her after shutting the door.

"Now what was so different?" Twilight asked.

"I heard the most heartbreaking thing, it sounded like a manticore was in severe pain." Fluttershy explained, "I felt so scared and so worried. That only got worse when the sound stopped and nothing, but quiet remained."

Twilight was certainly surprised by this, that would certainly unnerve anybody that heard it. "Not only that, but before that happened I heard a loud booming noise." Fluttershy added.

"How loud?" Twilight asked

"Enough to rattle my house." she said. Twilight was now very shocked at hearing that, her mind immediately going to Shadow and what happened the previous night.

"What are you talking about? The creatures in there have many strange powers!" she said, trying to dissuade him from going. Shadow then did something unexpected, he vanished in a bright flash of light and appeared a distance away in another flash.

"So do I." he said before resuming his walk. Twilight was too awestruck to even say anything to try and stop him. She sighed and hung her head low, giving up trying to stop him as he got farther and farther away.

"Could he really have been the cause of that?" Twilight wondered in her mind before looking at Fluttershy and smiling at her. "Don't worry Fluttershy, I'm sure it wasn't anything to worry about." she said before getting an idea. "Let's get the girls and go see what happened."

Fluttershy smiled brightly at that, "I'd like that, thank you Twilight." she said, though she was scared she knew that with the girls by her side she'd be able to go into there. Not only that, but it would put her mind at ease to know what happened.

"I'll go get Rarity, you see if Dash is up and get her to come along" Twilight said before heading off. Fluttershy nodded before flying over to Dash's house.

Rainbow woke up and stretched her muscles, ready to take on the day. She looked at her mane in the mirror and used her hoof to help straighten it a bit, keeping that messy look without it looking horrible. A knock came to her door and she flew down her stairs and answered it, seeing Fluttershy.

"What happened to you?" She asked completely shocked and confused at how she looked.

"Something happened in the Everfree Forest, Twilight is getting Rarity right now and we're going to go investigate what happened." she answered.

"Why?" Dash asked, not understanding at all.

"Because when a loud boom as well as an eerie silence following a manticore's pained screaming occurs one after the other, you get a tad worried." Fluttershy snapped, her lack of sleep making her grumpy. Rainbow was wide eyed, taken aback by that sudden mood swing.

"I'm sorry Rainbow Dash, I didn't get a lot of sleep last night."

"It's okay Fluttershy, I'll go get Applejack and we'll meet you at the Everfree entrance." she said before flying off at high speed toward Sweet Apple Acres.

The six girls were soon all at the entrance to the forest, ready to enter. "I don't know what happened, but if it's got Fluttershy all up in a tiff we have to see what happened." Applejack said.

"Uh oh." Came the now worried sound of Rainbow Dash's voice.

"What's wrong Dashie?" Pinkie asked.

"I see smoke." She said.

"Come on girls, let's hurry." Twilight said knowing that if that forest burned down, well she'd rather not think about it. The six mares all rushed into the forest and soon came upon a peculiar sight once they were deeper into it. Shadow was in front of a campfire and seemed to be hunched over doing something. The girls were curious as to what they were looking at.

"Who is that?" Rainbow asked.

"Shadow?" Twilight asked, all the others confused as to how she knew his name.

Shadow turned when he heard that, the other arm having been cooked and part of it in his mouth "Hm?" he asked, his teeth on the meat and sinking in before tearing a piece off before he began to chew it. The six mares soon felt all the blood leave their faces, Rarity even fainted temporarily from the sight of that.

"W-w-what are you eating?" Twilight managed to stammer out of the silence.

"Breakfast" He said simply before finishing his chewing and swallowing.

"I can see that, but what is it?" she asked.

"That." he deadpanned pointing at the corpse nearby. Fluttershy's eyes widened before she fainted right then and there.

"Dude...what the heck..." Rainbow said, completely sickened and shocked.

"You eat meat?" Twilight asked.

"Yes, and plants too." He said before taking another bite. The stomachs of the ponies churned at the sight.

"You're an omnivore?" she asked. He simply nodded since his mouth was full.

"Did you kill that manticore?" Rainbow asked.

"Is that what it's called?" he asked, looking back at the corpse. "Yes I killed it, I also killed some kind of wooden wolf, surprisingly useful as fire wood"

"You defeated a Timber Wolf?" Applejack asked, surprised.

"Timber Wolves...you can't be serious." he murmured, the name sounding so obvious and yet very silly.

"How did you do all this?" Twilight asked in disbelief.

"I told you nothing in this forest could kill me." he said before moving to take another bite.

"Stop that!" she snapped at him. He looked at all of them before gaining a half lidded expression. A devilish grin forming on his muzzle as his tongue came out and slowly licked the meal in his hands. The girls all felt their stomachs flip from seeing that.

"I'm out." Rainbow said before picking up Fluttershy and flying out of there. The others following her out of disgust for what they just witnessed. Twilight just looked at him before seeing him do it again. She groaned in frustration.

"You're impossible!" she said before leaving to join the others. Shadow just chuckled to himself and resumed his meal.